(Jaylen Carson seems to play his best in the City Tournament)

To open the 2021 Indianapolis City Tournament semifinal games, 1A No. 3 Tindley faced 4A No. 3 Cathedral. The Irish are a play away from being the top in the state as they lost to Homestead in double overtime.

Early on, Tindley’s length bothered Cathedral around the rim. The Irish drove to the basket, but the Tigers kept turning them away. Jayden Pinkston had a huge block on Tayshawn Comer after the Cathedral guard cut backdoor. It was nearly five minutes into the game before Cathedral scored. Antonio Robinson and Darion Davis led the way for Tindley by each scoring four points.

The first quarter went well for Tindley until the final 25 seconds. Jake Davis and Vincent Brady were able to knock down threes to tie the game going to the second period. Cathedral went 3-6 from downtown in the opening frame.

With the game tied at 11 through one, Cathedral kept its rhythm from the end of the first period. The Irish extended their run to 12-0 as Comer and Brady buried triples. After Tindley scores from Aaron Humphrey, Arlondo Hall, and Davis, Cathedral had another 11-1 spurt. Comer and Sincere Germany combined for 15 points in the second quarter as the Cathedral opened a 36-24 halftime lead.

Coming out of the locker rooms, Cathedral blew the game open in the third quarter. Brady was tremendous as he had three dunks. He was called for a technical for hanging on the rim on one, but it was unwarranted as he was going full speed. Brady scored 10 points in the stanza as Cathedral’s lead grew to 26 points.

Humphrey, Davis, and Billy Brown had moments for Tindley in the fourth quarter, but Cathedral’s lead never dipped below 18 points. Brady continued to have a dominant game for the Irish, and Cathedral made 24-26 free throws for the game to ensure an easy victory.

Cathedral advanced to the City Tournament title game with the 85-64 win. Brady recorded 27 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in the win. Comer added 21 points and three assists, while Jake Davis scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Humphrey led Tindley with 16 points and seven rebounds. Davis tallied 12 points and five rebounds.

In the second City Tournament semifinal game, 2A No. 4 Covenant Christian faced 4A No. 5 Crispus Attucks. Covenant Christian’s Brian Lomax missed the game due to injury. He is a big part of the Warriors’ backcourt.

From the tip, Attucks senior forward Jaylen Carson was active.  He scored a couple of quick buckets to get Attucks off to a good start. Attucks stretched its lead to 11-6 when James Smith slashed to the basket. The junior guard drove to the basket with ease in the first quarter as he scored six points.

For Covenant Christian, Brock Buckley was aggressive early. He scored at the basket twice in the opening minutes to pace the Warriors. In the final 35 seconds of the opening frame, Graham Shelton scored twice to pull CC within 15-13.

The tempo was increased in the second quarter. Attucks is a team that normally thrives in a fast-paced game, but the Tigers were committing more turnovers than Covenant Christian. In addition to the turnover problems, Attucks struggled to finish at the rim. Each team had seven first-half offensive rebounds, but Attucks only scored four points off the second chances. Graham Shelton and Trey Flatt carried the Covenant Christian offense in the second stanza.

Attucks searched for consistent offense. Smith was steady for the Tigers with nine points, and Carson scored eight in the first 16 minutes, but Carson was only 4-10 from the field. The Tigers did not make a three-pointer in the opening half.

Covenant Christian led 30-28 at half.

To begin the second half, Attucks immediately fed Carson in the lane for an easy basket. There was no doubt that the halftime talk centered around taking advantage of its height advantage inside. In the third, Attucks started to convert in the paint at a higher rate.

The third was played at a much slower pace. Shelton and Caleb Crane connected on threes for Covenant Christian to keep the Warriors within striking distance. Attucks led 45-40 going to the fourth.

Early in the final quarter, sophomore Jalen Hooks scored twice then found Donavon Barnett for an Attucks basket to stretch the lead to 51-42. It looked like the Tigers might pull away, but Graham Shelton was there again for Covenant Christian. He connected on consecutive threes to make it a one-possession game.

Facing a comeback, Attucks did not blink. Barnett scored at the rim two more times, then Hooks added two free throws to push Attucks’ lead right back to 10 points. Like the entire game, CC would not go quietly. Flatt was fouled on a three-pointer and made all three free throws. A minute later, he splashed a three-pointer to make it a four-point game with 1:15 to play.

In the end, Attucks made its last four free throws to seal the game. The Tigers moved to the City Tournament title game with a 62-54 win.

Carson finished with 19 points and eight rebounds. He was one of four Attucks players in double figures – Hooks (13), Smith (11), Barnett (11). Barnett also added nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.

In the losing effort, Graham Shelton recorded a game-high 22 points. Flatt finished with 16 points. Micah Wilson contributed four points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Buckley tallied five points, nine rebounds, and two assists.